horacegoesskiing wrote:Yes, you do think initially that these two PCSOs may be gutless, however I don't like the initial tone of the article which takes the form of another public servant bashing exercise. If these two PCSOs didn't feel up to getting into the water because they felt it could endanger themselves, it's their call. One of the first things I was told when I signed up to a first aid course last year was, don't put yourself in unnecessary danger.
As a first aider of twenty years' standing: that advice has never changed. The last thing you do is give the ambulance service extra casualties to deal with.
I agree with the
DM's reaction in principle. But I'd call into question why two PCSOs who both weren't experienced - let alone trained for that sort of incident - were being expected to deal with it.
I don't blame the PCSOs for using their own judgement, but somewhere is at least one manager who didn't do a very good job of managing the incident. They shouldn't have been in that situation in the first place.
But, on the other side of the coin, neither should the children. There're deaths in these sorts of ponds every year.